Return
by vee23
Summary: Post-TFA. With most Decepticons imprisoned and a few others disposed of, peace spreads throughout Cybertron. But when a certain triple-changer escapes and brings a notorious ally into play to free his comrades, the Autobot gang is back in action. No OCs.
1. Renewal

A.N. Well, hey, this is another Transformers Animated fic by me. (: I just recently watched all 42 episodes throughout one week (when I wasn't at school, doing work, etc) and I have to admit it's one of my favorite continuations of the series. Not to mention I just love some of the characters! U But yeah; not sure if I'll be able to finish this. It was originally a one shot but it's kinda developed further than that....tell me what you think.

* * *

"**Warning. Warning. Prisoner escape in progress. All Autobots in Sector 7, report."**

"Ugh, zat alarm iz so annoying." Icy stopped and looked to the small security drones hovering above, trying to giving him commands to stay where he was or he was under arrest. The cannons on his shoulders silenced the annoying little machines with a frigid beam. He kicked through the prison door while avoiding the gaze of prisoners behind plexi-glass barriers on either side of him. Most particularly that of Megatron, whose red optics bore into the back of his head from behind four protective barriers designed to keep him confined.

He'd come back for them, he thought. If he didn't, Megatron would surely make him regret it.

**"Warning. Prisoner in Hangar 4. Autobots, report."**

Hothead growled. "That stupid alarm!" Sentinel Prime and another Autobot in orange-red armor came around the corner with shield and sword ready for battle, but Blitzwing did not find them to be a concern. He dwarfed them in size _and_ power.

"Stop! You're under arrest, Blitzwing!" Sentinel shouted, shield up near his face.

Random came to, laughing maniacally as he took aim and fired again, knocking the annoying Prime through a hole in the wall. The other Autobot turned bright silver, and every shot he took bounced off his iron plating. As Random hooted and hollered, Sentinel emerged from the hole with sword raised. He jumped and plunged the energon blade into the Decepticon's shoulder armor.

Hothead took over, growling like a downgrade, and grabbed the Prime by his shield. "You piece of slag! I'll rip your pistons apart!"

A couple shots went off to his left, and Blitzwing yanked Sentinel's sword and shield away before throwing him into another wall. He ignored the dents and holes he'd sustained; in due time, he'd get repaired. His optics focused on Ironhide, who was holding an upgraded energon cannon.

"Stop right there, Blitzwing. You're outnumbered. Surrender and come real quiet-like, and maybe you won't get stripped for parts." Ironhide said with a thick accent—probably molded at an energon farm or something.

"I didn't break out just to be caught, Autobot." Icy returned disinterestedly. "I must find vhat I'm looking for." He hadn't plotted this escape for the last two hundred stellar cycles just to be stopped by the Elite Guard.

"Decepticreep, I said stop where you are!" Sentinel said as he recovered from being tossed. Sentinel joined Ironhide, blockading the path that the Decepticon intended to take. Blitzwing huffed impatiently, shooting the ceiling down on top of the both of them. He couldn't see any movement from under the rubble, so he hoped they taken care of for the meantime. Random took over and shrugged, "Oh well, I'll have to find another way around." He cackled, and after making sure there was no way to cross over the mess he'd made, took another corridor.

"So much for zat, I suppose." The triple-changer murmured about his planned route, Icy once more. "I vonder where zee topnotch security zat Sentinel alvays bragged about is."

Finally, he came across a large metal door, one with "CONFIDENTIAL QUARANTINE. DO NOT ENTER" on it. He attempted to type in a password on the panel next to the door, but it refused. Then he tried a cartridge containing access codes; again, refused. They must've sabotaged internal security to make sure he couldn't get very far. No matter, he thought. There were other ways to get through a door. Setting his cannons to maximum power, he aimed at the center of the enormous door and fired. The Cybertronian alloy went flying in large sheets, and Blitzwing entered through the dust and smoke.

Inside was a single platform in a vast, dark room. At the end of the platform was a stasis pod containing a lifeless vessel, gray and ashen. If his Spark and the fragment keeping him alive were gone, why go through all the trouble to guard an offline bucket of bolts? Flanking the body on either side were rows and rows of protoforms, in later development stages so that Sparks were forming. If it worked like Blitzwing hoped, then his efforts would not be wasted.

**"Warning. Starscream chamber opened. Report, report! All Autobots to the Starscream chamber! This is not a drill! Repeat: This is not a drill!"**

Blitzwing barricaded the entrance with pieces of the door he'd torn asunder to avoid further distractions that might delay him. He fiddled with a small panel by the pod, pressing in lines of code he'd managed to snatch here and there while in prison. The glass case hissed open and icy fog fell around his feet as he looked toward the Sparkless body inside.

"I don't know how kindly Megatron will take to zis…" Blitzwing considered. There was a pounding on the barricade; he couldn't afford to dawdle. Gingerly he picked up Starscream's corpse and laid him down on his back on the floor, gray optics staring emptily. Retrieving a protoform body from one of the capsules, he set it at Starscream's side and opened both their chests to reveal their chambers.

There was the pounding again. He didn't feel like dealing with insignificant Autobots. Icy maintained control, restricting both Random and Hothead from taking over.

"Blitzwing, we know you're in there!" That was a different voice this time. It must be that little Autobot Jazz.

Grabbing both sides of the Spark from the protoform (still much too young to have programmed a personality or any other particular processor method), Blitzwing meticulously picked it up and set it into Starscream's empty, cracked chamber and shut the glass of his cockpit with finality. The protoform went ashen, the humming of its lifelines silencing forever. Blitzwing watched it go offline, optics intensely cold and mechanical, and then returned to the whirring of Starscream's engine intake.

Still, Starscream did not stir. Perhaps Spark transplants did not work on Cybertronians as they did on organics. He recalled the fleshy insects of Earth to have the same basic procedure; a "heart" transplant? Icy tapped a small recess on the side of Starscream's head and paneling opened his internal circuitry. Although there was life in his body, his programming was not intact. Perhaps it was better to start over with a completely new Starscream. AllSpark knows Megatron would be more likely to approve that way…

No. He wouldn't be able to make it out of here without the Starscream he knew. There were more than ten Autobots awaiting him outside the chamber. As much as he didn't doubt his own strength, there was no way he'd be able to take them all on if he was beaten by three before. His fingers carefully pressed three indentations in Starscream's circuits in a specific order, and then clicked the recess to return the paneling to its original state.

The engines started up louder this time, and the Harrier Jet's optics became bright crimson. He jumped up in alarm, arms outward to fire at something. "Foolish Autobots! If you think you can take my fragment, then you are—"

Blitzwing rested a hand on his shoulder firmly. "Starscream, you are not on Earth anymore. Your fragment was taken from you very long ago."

"Where am I?" His vocal processor growled in annoyance. "Where's that scrapheap, Megatron?"

"You're in an Autobot prison." Blitzwing replied. He had to speak loudly in order to be heard over the Autobots trying to bust their way through. "I brought you back online. Ve need to find zee AllSpark. I know Sentinel haz a fragment of it for himself. If you vant to stay online vhen we reunite with Lord Megatron, you will certainly need it."

"I don't care! I can take him on now!" Starscream screeched defiantly.

Hothead came to and spoke in his angry Austrian accent, "You think you can fight Megatron? I should not have even brought you back online! I'll put you back right now if you're going to waste my time!"

Starscream's mouth turned into a hard line as Blitzwing stared relentlessly. He spoke, his optics downcast, "...What about the Decepticons?"

"All imprisoned, as I was." Icy was back. "Now, come wizz me. I've located zee AllSpark shard."

Starscream stopped to hear the commanding Autobots outside the barricade. He extended his particle cannons toward the entrance, blowing back the steel plate Blitzwing had used to seal them inside. They heard shouts and cries of pain through the thick smog and rubble, and Blitzwing motioned for Starscream to follow him. His cannons were lowered on his shoulders, ready to fire at anything that moved.

"Well, you certainly don't waste time, do you?" Random said, followed with a fit of laughter as always. Starscream bit back his impatience with Blitzwing's multiple personalities, since he owed him his Spark.

"Let's find that fragment already." As he turned to follow his unlikely partner, he failed to notice Sentinel Prime barreling in from another corridor. He jumped onto one of Starscream's wing struts and struck with his recovered sword. The Decepticon snarled and threw himself against a wall, hoping to crush the Autobot insect in the process. Unfortunately, the Prime was still very much online when Starscream brought himself to full stance again. Jazz and Ironhide and Wheeljack were gaining on them, and it wouldn't be long before the other Autobots were on their servos from the blast earlier.

"Come on." Blitzwing said. Starscream did the same technique—he aimed for the ceiling and fired, and a crumbling pile of wires and metal blocked them off from the Autobot scourge. The triple-changer led him down an empty hallway, ignoring the alarm or flashing red lights that never stopped. On several occasions, they ran into lesser Autobots reporting to the alarm but were easily disposed of.

The Decepticon pushed through more remnants of a wall that opened up to the extravagant living quarters of Sentinel Prime. He stopped, checking his scanners again as he scoped the room with Starscream right behind him.

"Did Megatron put you up to this?" Starscream asked suspiciously.

"No." Blitzwing replied simply. His optics focused on a large, obvious safe by the Autobot's stasis platform. "Starscream, I require your help."

"Stand aside!" He said smugly, his fingertip chiseled to a sharp point. Without so much as a command, the Decepticon pierced the thick surfacing of the safe and carved a hole wide enough to reach in with one hand. As they rid themselves of the carved out pieces, they spotted the glow of an AllSpark fragment.

With an eager chuckle, Starscream reached in hastily and pulled out a shard a bit smaller than his thumb. He turned to Blitzwing with a satisfied grin, "Now I'll be immortal again."

"Now, put zat somewhere safe. There aren't shards anymore, so zat's zee only one you get." Starscream turned on the triple-changer, held his laser at gunpoint and Blitzwing froze. Beyond the black emptiness inside the barrel, he spotted the sly look all over Starscream's face.

"With Megatron imprisoned, I can take over as leader of the Decepticons! You will obey me." He said as the particle beam in the barrel began to charge.

Icy remained practical as always and the sound of Autobot reinforcements en route was making itself known in his audio receptors. "Haven't you realized zere is no one for you to lead?"

"Silence!" He pushed the barrel closer. Blitzwing didn't flinch. "I will be a greater ruler than that of Megatron! I will bring down the Autobots once and for all! We will be in control here, and we can't do that with our so-called leader in captivity." Starscream smirked again. "Thanks again for the fragment. I'm sure as much as Megatron would like to take me offline himself, I won't give him or his dog that satisfaction."

Coldly, Blitzwing stared at Starscream's weapon. "My actions vere mine alone. If it vere Megatron's vill, he'd have your frame melted down for new protoforms."

Starscream hesitated and watched his fellow Decepticon dubiously.

"Then why bring me back?"

"Because, as much of a blunder as you are, you're a great asset to our forces." Random switched over and, with red mouth agape, laughed, "Given, you have your body and your head in the right place!"

"And what of the Autobots we fought on that organic planet?"

"They returned with prisoners of war—Megatron, Lugnut, and Shockwave—along with fallen comrades. I do not know if zey returned to Earth." Blitzwing's optics shifted to the laser cannon, and then back to the perpetrator. "Are ve going to continue like zis or shall ve get a move on? Autobots will show up any minute; more than either of us can handle even together."

Starscream dropped his weapon, and the triple-changer relaxed his servos slightly but didn't take his gaze from the traitor. Blitzwing watched as the Jet took the fragment of the AllSpark and opened the same compartment in his forehead as last time. He put it where the old one once was and shut some small plating to conceal it. "Fine. It reeks of Autobots here anyway."


	2. Mercy

A.N. The second half to what I've got written so far. : I'll have to talk to my Crispy to get help on furthering the story...but yeah, I just love writing Megatron. He's so vicious~ and Starscream, of course, is always a fun character to write. ....I wish TFA was longer. -dies-

* * *

"Ahh, Starscream." Megatron said blandly, his stare unfaltering as Blitzwing and Starscream hurried back into Sector 7 with newly acquired key codes to undo the locks. "What an unwelcome pleasure it is to see you back online."

"The pleasure is all mine." Starscream snapped, keeping watch while his comrade worked on opening a cell. The Jet moved towards Shockwave. Blitzwing, unfortunately, had already freed Lugnut and was already rambling about how they should've 'released their powerful and wise leader, O Mighty Megatron first'. Lugnut protested at the release of Shockwave—probably so he could be Megatron's favorite little useful pet—but a scathing word from their imprisoned leader silenced him quickly.

Lastly was Megatron himself. Blitzwing kept the Autobots at bay at the entrance of Sector 7 while Lugnut struggled to find their confiscated weaponry, so it was up to Starscream to free him.

He approached the plexi-glass, two scornful stares meeting the other. After a few nanoclicks of silence, Starscream went to the panel by his hated leader's cell and inserted the access code cartridge. Of course that alone wouldn't be enough; an Autobot on the way over was so kind as to give them the final code with a little…persuasion. He typed in the second portion with long, sharp fingertips and awaited response.

"So this is what Blitzwing was up to." Megatron said, to no one in particular. It caught Starscream's attention and it took every wire in his being not to want to shoot the piece of scum right there in his vulnerable position. "Let's hope, for your sake, you don't try anything foolish, Starscream."

Here came the façade. The one that both he and Megatron knew to be incredibly false. Starscream bent over in a bow, a smile on his face, "I would never question your great and undisputed leadership, my liege. As you said once many cycles ago, I'm nothing but a loyal and devoted subject in _your _time of need." Playing along was the easiest way to stay online for now. He'd get another opportunity whenever it decided to present itself.

Megatron's scrutinizing optics narrowed again, annoyed, and his deep voice boomed in Starscream's sensors. "We'll just have to test that devotion, my most trusted lieutenant." The falsity in their words was obvious. They hated each other on unfathomable levels. Starscream for his loathsome desire of Megatron's position and Megatron for Starscream's tiresome attempts to overthrow his 'undisputed leadership'.

The first barrier came up, then the second, then third and fourth. The only thing keeping the two apart was a couple feet of distance from where Megatron now stood, in stasis cuffs, and Starscream's position at the opening of the cell. Hesitantly, the lieutenant approached Megatron and, without taking his optics off of the taller Decepticon's face, began working on the cuffs.

"There." Starscream said as the final lock on the cuffs clicked open and they clattered to the floor. A large hand grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up against the wall, pinning him with ease. Starscream wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"I've taken you offline before, I'm certain I can do it again." He said cruelly.

"Lord Megatron, please consider his contribution to our forces." Blitzwing shouted, but flinched from a cold stare. "I know it vaz foolish of me, but I could see no other vay to get out of here." Random came on, "I didn't see you doing much of anything! AhaHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Megatron turned back to Starscream. "I am not capable of mercy."

"Don't consider it mercy." Starscream replied, strained. If there was one thing he didn't question, it was Megatron's strength. "You, Shockwave, and Lugnut don't have any weapons and they've blocked any access to the armory in this base. Or so the other Autobots have said."

Megatron scowled furiously but continued to listen.

"The only ones with any attack power are me and Blitzwing. AllSpark only knows how that triple-changer managed to find _his _equipment. We're your only way out of here."

"Lord Megatron, I think it would be wise to keep Starscream online…at least for now." Shockwave said in that self-possessed tone his vocalizers were programmed for.

The hand relinquished its grip, but Megatron never once stopped glaring. Or maybe his optics were just molded like that. The Decepticon leader began to head for the exit flanked by his followers, when he spoke again, "I'm assuming you have an escape route planned, Blitzwing."

"Hm? Oh, yes. It's a small cargo ship in Sector 5. Nothing compared to Omega Supreme or the Nemesis, but it haz strong defense and weapon capabilities."

"Very well. Blitzwing, lead the way and Starscream," He paused. It wasn't unusual for him to dish out orders, but Starscream and orders never ended well, "provide support for any insects that stand in our way. _Don't_ disappoint me. I can promise you that AllSpark shard won't even be able to bring you back next time."

There was a tense silence between Megatron and Starscream until Hothead assumed temporary leadership and guided the entire group out of the prison and down a corridor.

For some reason, the Autobots defense forces weren't as well thought out as they expected. Perhaps the fools never planned for the off chance that a Decepticon broke free. Or perhaps they never expected five to get out at once. The Decepticons were greatly outnumbered when they ran into another small fleet of Autobots awaiting them around a corner, yet it didn't take much fire power to stop them long enough to get past.

As they all made their way onboard the cargo ship, Starscream rushed toward the navigator's station and Shockwave went to his place as communications while Megatron (as always) took the captain's seat.

"Cannons are online. All grounded weaponry has been disabled so they can't shoot us down. I rerouted this ship's circuitry so the Autobots cannot shut us down remotely."

"Thrusters and main engine set for launch. All we need is your approval, Lord Megatron." It pained Starscream to talk to him so respectfully, but he didn't plan on doing anything that would inhibit him from achieving his goal.

"Take out that blasted door and plan a transwarp as soon as we're clear." Megatron said flatly. He gripped the two handlebars that allowed for piloting solely by the captain and pushed forward, not anticipating the jerk of the initial thrust that sent both Blitzwing and Lugnut flat on their backs.

Autobots were already rushing out on the dock to stop their escape. Starscream caught a glimpse of a smirk on Megatron's face when he spotted their pitiful attempt. He pressed a few buttons on the captain's control panel and grabbed onto the levers once more, pausing in the ship's course to take aim on them rather than the door. "I'm taking matters into my own hands."

"My Liege—" Starscream began.

His thumbs flicked up the top of the levels and pressed down on two small red buttons. Missiles careened downward and enveloped the enemy forces in explosions, and then thick, black smoke. Not that he cared if he hit anyone—more often than not, he wanted to extinguished _some _poor bot's Spark. Then, turning the two handles in the other direction, targeted on the large iron door keeping them sealed inside.

With another press of a button, the metal collapsed into horrible, jagged chunks and sheets of scrap. Megatron's voice made Starscream flinch like a beaten dog, "Starscream, set thrusters to maximum power and get us out of Cybertronian airspace now."

"But the ship can't get to 100% that quickly, sir."

"You'd rather allow this entire attempt to be for naught? I expected better survival instincts from you, Starscream." He said coolly. "Spare me the technicalities and do as I command."

Starscream pursed his lips again and returned to his work. He dragged the small bar all the way to the top on one of his panels and the sudden bolt of speed forced him back in his seat.

"Transwarp coordinates set. We have to get clear of the planet before initiating warp drive." Shockwave announced.

Megatron was a very skilled pilot. As he presumed, they already deployed air defenses ready to take them down on sight. And, with all his years from the Great War and then their miniature war on that Earth planet, he was able to maneuver between shots easily. Occasionally, one would hit the hull or a rear jet but it was of no concern to the tyrant. The ship's defenses were too high to let something that minor deem it inoperable.

"Shockwave, prepare the warp." They were beyond the range of many of the ground missiles and other battle stations. Space was nearing all too quickly on the Bridge and control over the ship was much easier to maintain.

"Yes, my Liege." He put a few codes into the panel as he'd done before and turned back to his ruler, "The warp is set to Swindle's ship. I'm sure he will be very pleased to see us. Perhaps he can provide us with additional weaponry."

"Ah, yes, my favorite dealer. Initiate warp drive."

"Affirmative."

"Now, what could that be?" Ratchet grumbled, pulling himself away from a platform where he'd been inspecting Optimus Prime's energon axe for malfunctions. A window appeared on his communications monitor, addressed to Optimus Prime. "Hey, kid, looks like another message for you."

"Hmm?" Optimus inquired. He was standing nearby, supervising Ratchet's breakdown of his favorite weapon. Ratchet resumed his inspection and Prime opened the message on the monitor.

It was Sentinel Prime, curt as always. "Optimus."

"Sentinel."

"You're not too busy, are you?"

"No, I'm not. What's going on?" By the judge of the area behind him onscreen, things were a chaotic. Something uncommon under Sentinel Prime's command.

"We've had a breach in security." He admitted.

"How big of a breach are we talking? Minute or Decepticon sized?"

"Decepticon sized."

Optimus Prime's expression turned into a frown similar to Sentinel's. "How did this happen?"

Sentinel didn't seem too keen on giving out the details. He explained the situation as quickly and vaguely as possible—Blitzwing's escape, Starscream's revival, the stolen All Spark fragment (which he shouldn't have had in the first place), Megatron and the other Decepticon's release, and the Decepticons' escape on a stolen cargo vessel. He was ashamed, but too proud to show it. "We were unable to stop their warp, but the Prime now in charge of the Space Bridge network was able to determine their set coordinates."

"Which would be?" Optimus folded his arms over his chest. This was the worst news he could possibly hear. Ratchet began listening at the mention of Decepticons, although he tried not to make his eavesdropping so obvious.

"A ship exiting Nexus Zero space, retrofitted with Vok technology. Scanners have proven its make is definitely Cybertronian alloys; probably stolen from an Elite Guard ship. Our sources lead us to believe it might be Swindle, Megatron's weapons pusher, and the two Starscream clones that managed to escape with him."

"But that was stellar cycles ago!" Ratchet said abruptly. "Swindle disappeared; no one's heard of him or gotten arms from him since before we arrested Megatron!"

"Arms? Hey, Docbot, speaking of arms, I think mine need a tune-up." Bumblebee's squeaky voice rang. Both he and Bulkhead stood in the doorway, looking tired and dented. "Bolts for Brains here hit me one too many ti—" He stopped at the sight of Sentinel on the monitor. "Oh, sorry, bad timing?"

"You always have bad timing." Bulkhead pointed out.

"No, Bumblebee, it's fine." Optimus said, returning to the matter at hand. "So what exactly are you asking, Sentinel Prime?" He saw the slight notion of Sentinel's optics to the Matrix in his possession, sitting on the counter next to Ratchet's examination table.

"You know what I'm asking, Optimus." Sentinel responded in an annoyed tone. "You and Omega Supreme are the only one who've ever brought the Decepticon attacks to an end. If you took Megatron down before, you can do it again, right?"

Since returning to Cybertron, Optimus hadn't been on the Elite Guard or any Council of any kind. After parading his victory in the streets, a few decacycles later he and his crew were back to cleaning up Space Bridges. It was such an easy task compared to recent accomplishments. He was on Space Bridge duty ever since, even going so far as to refuse promotions or other offers for his skills. There wasn't a thing in the world that could tear him away from Ratchet and the gang, especially after all they'd been through.

"I'm a clean-up bot. Sorry, I don't fight Decepticons anymore." A twinge of defiance shone through Optimus' speech synthesizers. Of course he'd accept the job, but he wanted Sentinel to actually _ask _him—something he knew he wouldn't take kindly to. Optimus pretended to move towards the button that would end the transmission.

"No, wait!" Sentinel cried out. As if with great difficulty, he tried to sound as pleasant as possible, "On behalf of all of Cybertron, and myself, I'm asking for you to go after them and put a stop to their plans before they get a chance to get started." His poor attitude immediately resurfaced, "If you don't, I'll haul all four of you in for conspiracy against our planet!"

"Conspiracy? You've got to be yanking my wires! As if anyone would buy that scrap!" Bumblebee said in disbelief.

"Just get the job done!" Sentinel retorted and disappeared from screen.

"Well guys, it looks like we have an even bigger job to do. Autobots, let's pack up and roll out."


	3. Assemble

A.N. I know it's just a bunch of talking but we gotta get it out of the way eventually, I figure. Just getting all the characters in so that the stage is set up and such.... Sorry if you guys were expecting more (if anyone even reads this to begin with....)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anybody!

* * *

"If it isn't my main mech, Megatron!" Swindle chuckled, spinning around in his seat as the Decepticon leader entered the Bridge of his ship. "Heard you got put in prison a while ago. I would've come and got you, but I ran into the Vok a while ago and couldn't find time to tear myself away. So anyway, how did you guys manage to get past my securi—"

"Swindle." He said.

"Hm?" Swindle's warm disposition changed to serious the instant Megatron addressed him.

"I trust you've got plenty of equipment for an old friend in need, correct?" Megatron asked, crimson optics drifting to meet dark violet.

"Anything for my old friend, Megatron." The dealer laughed again. He pulled open the drawer on his chest connected to a personal storage bridge, and began rummaging. "How's prison been? I can't say that I enjoyed Autobot 'protective custody.'"

"Hospitable as always." The Decepticon leader replied coldly. "I see you managed to escape a long time ago, along with these two bumbling morons."

"Well, my situation wasn't very favorable if I came to your rescue, so I had to hightail it out of there. As for those two, at the very least they're good bodyguards." Swindle proceeded to pull out a large, black gun from his chassis. "Ahhh, one fusion cannon just for you. And…" He retrieved two blades, long and sleek in sheaths, "I know how much you like hand-to-hand, so here."

As Megatron went about equipping himself, Swindle helped those who needed new weapons. Starscream stood by the door, arms folded over his chest, his optics shifting from one clone to the other. Both had betrayed him so long ago, yet why couldn't he get rid of the grudging hatred for them? They both went out of their way to avoid their original's gaze, feeling the angry stare on their backs.

"I trust you put yourself before our cause then, Swindle," Megatron said coolly, still messing with the fusion cannon on his right arm. Even when accusing someone, he kept his tone almost conversational.

Swindle shrugged awkwardly, returning to his seat. "Yeah, sorry about that. When I heard they finally found Lugnut a couple cycles after our incarceration, in pieces mind you, I didn't think there was a thing in the galaxy I could do to get you out. Tight security and my own Transwarp hammerspace disabled; I was, pardon the organic expression, a sitting duck in there."

Megatron growled.

"The Autobots are going to be on our tailpipes any cycle now, since you guys came to me." He sighed. "What a bunch of trouble…as if my crew wasn't a handful enough. Oh, speaking of which…" Swindle typed into an interface and Coward Starscream, or Skywarp, appeared on a monitor, "Hey, scaredy-bot, you two do what I asked?"

"No, Thundercracker did…I told you I'm afraid to touch what the Vok gave us. What if the gifts are rigged or possessed or—"

"Okay, whatever. Tell your buddy to prepare for warp. We've got to get to another quadrant before the Autobots start trouble."

"Autobots? Here? But we just—" His vocalizers rose to a squeak.

"Calm down, you're not going to have to fight anything. Just prepare the ship." He pressed something on the interface again and groaned, holding his face in one hand. "We won't be going anywhere for a little while…I can't run this whole place by myself." Swindle's attention fell back to the group and his disposition changed again, "SO, let me show you around here in the meantime."

"So what do we know so far?" Optimus asked after the entire group assembled. It was only the four of them without Prowl around, so he couldn't help the overwhelming sadness as he thought about doing a mission without their beloved cyber ninja.

"The ship Swindle has is a stolen Elite Guard cruiser, no doubt upgraded and quite a handful to approach even in Omega Supreme," Ratchet answered. "We're going to need help."

"We're up against Megatron, Blitzwing, Starscream, Lugnut, Swindle, and at least two clones." Bulkhead made an excellent point. "If Swindle gave them upgrades too, we don't stand a chance by ourselves."

Optimus rose in silence and accessed the communications monitor. On screen came Arcee with a warm greeting and polite smile. "Optimus Prime, how may I help you?"

"Hello, Arcee. I was wondering if you could patch me through to Rodimus Minor and his team."

"One moment please." Arcee said with another smile.

The screen flickered and Rodimus appeared, clad in dark red armor and looking particularly bothered. His face lit in surprise the instant he saw Optimus was the one who beckoned him. "Optimus Prime? To what do I owe the honor?"

"Are you with your team?"

"Yeah…" He was hesitant with his words, trying to piece them together so that they didn't sound rude. Rodimus didn't give himself enough credit. "We're not on assignment or anything. Why?"

"We need you to meet us at these coordinates." The Autobot pressed a code into the interface and Rodimus' optics lowered to read something. With a wink, Optimus added, "Don't bother Sentinel with any of this; let's keep it between us."

"Affirmative. We'll be there soon, sir. Rodimus Minor out."

The screen shut off, and Optimus lowered his head and sighed, turning back to his party. "Well, I think we might have a little more of a chance with five more on our side..."

"What exactly are we going to do when we intercept them? Just wing it?" Bumblebee asked pessimistically. "If you haven't noticed, we don't seem to ever have a plan and we get our fenders kicked…"

"Winging it is what he does best, kid." Ratchet joked, returning to his station on the Bridge to prepare for oncoming guests.

Bumblebee groaned, "I was afraid of that."


End file.
